Zoning Officer: Apartment Inspections to Start in April

Hellertown landlords and renters can expect their properties to be inspected by the borough's Office of Zoning and Codes Enforcement starting in April, Zoning Officer Joe Chernaskey told Borough Council March 21.

A systematic inspection of all 600 residential rental units in Hellertown has not been done in some time, and the inspections will target code violations.

"We're basically starting (the inspection process) from scratch," Chernaskey said.

For planning purposes, the borough has been divided into five different districts, and inspections will begin in buildings at the south end of town, Chernaskey said.

Inspections that have been performed will be recorded and tracked using a program called TAM, he explained.

"It's going to be very aggressive. So we're going to be hitting all 600 apartments that we have here in the borough," Chernaskey said. 

Borough Manager Cathy Kichline added that inspections of rental properties that are for sale and properties whose deeds have been transferred have already begun.

"We have done a few of them already," Chernaskey acknowledged. "It's moving. And it's really going to get going by the summertime," he said of the inspections process.

So far, most property owners have been receptive to the round of inspections, and eager to correct any code violations, he said.

"I think we'll do pretty well," he added.